Interpersonal violence among youth: A challenge for school personnel

Although interpersonal violence in the school setting is not a new phenomenon, the problem has escalated considerably in this last decade. Both urban and rural school systems are being affected. This paper seeks to explore the extent of interpersonal violence and its impact on students and school personnel. The multiple factors that lead to school violence are examined. Select curricula used in school systems to reduce or prevent violence are highlighted. The article emphasizes that student violence is not a problem limited to the school environment, but one that should and must find a solution through cooperation of all the institutions present in the community, family included. Finally, suggestions are presented for developing preventive strategies.     

Response of school personnel to student threat assessment training

This article analyzes the distribution of mathematics achievement among class, school, municipality, and state in Argentina. Data from the Year 2000, 6th-grade Primary School Census from the Minister of Education are analyzed using multilevel methodology. The results indicate that all levels of the education system are relevant and must be considered. If all levels are included, the school “raw” effect is much less (18%) than if they are not (31%). Prior academic performance and socioeconomic level of the individual pupil, plus socioeconomic composition variables, accounted for most of the performance distribution among school, municipality, and state levels. These kinds of variables do not explain significant inter-class differences inside the school. As a consequence, the class became the superior level with the larger proportion of the total unexplained variance (15%), while the school variation represents just 8,6% of that variation. Finally, unexplained inter-school and inter-class variation is still significant making it necessary to further investigate relevant schooling and classroom factors.     

Stress management for school personnel: Stress-inoculation training and exercise

This study evaluated the effectiveness of Stress-Inoculation Training (SIT) with and without an exercise component and a Minimal exercise treatment (MIN) on trait anxiety, teacher stress, and coping strategies among 66 school personnel. The findings indicate that the 8-week SIT with an exercise component was more effective than MIN in reducing anxiety and teacher stress. Both groups significantly decreased emotionfocused coping and increased preventive coping; however, problem-focused coping did not change. SIT without an exercise component did not significantly affect anxiety, stress, or coping strategies; however, there is some evidence that this was due to the cyclical nature of stress in the schools. Changes in teacher stress and coping strategies occurred mainly for those who were below the median of the sample on physical fitness and anxiety prior to beginning the program. Implications of these findings for school-based stress management programs are discussed.     

Cyberbullying by Adolescents: A Preliminary Assessment

A new threat has arisen for which teachers, administrators, and parents admit they are poorly prepared. Cyberbullying—electronic forms of peer harassment—is becoming increasingly prevalent and often originates beyond the legal reach of the school. This presentation describes how cyberbullying differs from other forms of mistreatment, cites examples of Internet intimidation, identifies procedures for responding to electronic threats, explores implications for teachers and parents, recommends questions for initial research, and presents a poll for schools to use in assessing student experience with cyberbullying.     

Open-ended problem solving in school chemistry: A preliminary investigation

This paper uses a new set of 14 open-ended problems, designed for 14-17-year-old pupils studying chemistry, to attempt to gain some initial insights into the ways pupils solve open-ended chemistry problems. The emphasis is on how concepts and linkages between concepts influence success in solving such open-ended problems. Pupils worked in groups of three attempting to solve the problems and were encouraged to talk freely, to make notes of their progress, and to note their agreed answers. Evaluation sheets were also completed individually by the pupils after each problem. By studying the interactions between pupils by means of written materials, observation and audiotapes, it was possible to build up a picture of the way the pupils approached the problems and to explore some of the reasons for difficulties they experienced. In the light of the evidence, it is suggested that creating the links between 'islands' of knowledge is an important skill in solving open-ended problems and that this skill is not easily achieved by pupils at these ages. The notion that problem solving is a generic skill which can be taught is questioned.     

Technological self-efficacy among school leaders in Oman: A preliminary study

There is more need today for school leaders to be up-to-date with technology and its various uses in education. Enhancing self-efficacy in the use of technologyis an expected role of educational leadership preparation programmes. This study investigated technological self-efficacy of a group of educators in leadership positions while participating in a leadership preparation programme at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman. The findings show that these educators had high technological self-efficacy. There were also significant, positive relationships between technological self-efficacy variables, academic achievement and age. Age was negatively correlated with general learning self-efficacy and also with one indicator of academic achievement. In the qualitative analysis, the study used the framework of the Theory of Margin (TM) to identify the factors affecting technology self-efficacy. Results indicate that, while participants with a high power-load margin (PLM) reported a higher number of internal and external powers, those with a lower PLM reported a higher number of internal and external loads.     

Students prenatally exposed to drugs and alcohol: A survey of school personnel preparation

Abstract

The authors surveyed university faculty regarding preparation of general educators, special educators, and speech‐language pathologists to work with students prenatally exposed to drugs and alcohol. The results confirm that, in general, teacher education and speech‐language pathology programs provide limited information on these students to either preservice or inservice teachers and speech‐language pathologists. The authors also compared the responses of the three groups of faculty and the responses of faculty within their specialization areas. Significant differences were found among the three groups and within the general education faculty group, differences that have significant implications for teacher and speech‐language pathologist preparation programs.     

略论教育科研管理中的人本管理

人本管理是教育科研管理的核心和发展方向。教育科研管理中的人本管理，即在教育科学管理的一切活动中，始终要把教师放在核心位置，充分调动全体教师的积极性和创造性。其基础即要满足教师的高层次需要，其方法就是要采用不同方式多子激发，其手段就是要充分利用信息，其关键在于要造就一批优秀的领导者。     

Testing Times: Questions concerning assessment for school improvement

Contemporary education now appears to be dominated by the continual drive for improvement measured against the assessment of what students have learned. It is our contention that a foundational relation with assessment organises contemporary education .
Here we draw on a 'way of thinking' that is deconstructive in its intent. Such thinking makes clear the vicious circularity of the argument for improvement, wherein assessment valorised in discourses of improvement provides not only a rationalisation for improvement via assessment, but also the very means of achieving such possibilities via targets grounded in limited specifications of assessment .
On reading Heidegger's 'question concerning technology' we sought to reconsider the vicious circle of improvement in relation to Being. We claim that the means-ends driven technology of assessment, rather than being at our disposal and under our control, only serves to reveals the Real to us in accordance with the restricting principle of reason.
The principle of reason, we argue, grounds 'Enframing' that ranks and orders the very beings of education as objects to produce an objective 'world as picture', rather than opening the possibility of their identity as belongings with a movement of difference.
So, 'improvement' becomes normative and binding for institutions and practices on grounds of the principle of assessment, and renders agents of education as functionaries of 'Enframing'.     

Testing Times: Questions concerning assessment for school improvement

Contemporary education now appears to be dominated by the continual drive for improvement measured against the assessment of what students have learned. It is our contention that a foundational relation with assessment organises contemporary education.

Here we draw on a ‘way of thinking’ that is deconstructive in its intent. Such thinking makes clear the vicious circularity of the argument for improvement, wherein assessment valorised in discourses of improvement provides not only a rationalisation for improvement via assessment, but also the very means of achieving such possibilities via targets grounded in limited specifications of assessment.

On reading Heidegger's ‘question concerning technology’ we sought to reconsider the vicious circle of improvement in relation to Being. We claim that the means‐ends driven technology of assessment, rather than being at our disposal and under our control, only serves to reveals the Real to us in accordance with the restricting principle of reason.

The principle of reason, we argue, grounds ‘Enframing’ that ranks and orders the very beings of education as objects to produce an objective ‘world as picture’, rather than opening the possibility of their identity as belongings with a movement of difference.

So, ‘improvement’ becomes normative and binding for institutions and practices on grounds of the principle of assessment, and renders agents of education as functionaries of ‘Enframing’.     

Educators' perceptions and attitudes toward school counseling and student personnel services: A cultural perspective

This study was designed to survey and compare attitudes and perceptions toward school counseling and student personnel programs as held by educators in the Caribbean. The subjects in the study comprised 275 teachers and administrators employed in public and private junior and senior high schools in Nassau, Bahamas. The statistical tests used to analyze the data were the Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance and the Friedman two-way analysis for repeated measures. The findings indicate that administrators at all levels expressed significantly more favorable attitudes and perceptions toward counseling and student personnel programs in the schools than teachers. Teachers in the study expressed the following: (a) serious concern regarding the competency of practicing counselors in their schools; (b) a need for clarification of their role and function in the guidance process and a clarification of the counselor's role; and (c) minimum acceptable standards should be established for school counseling positions.

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Zusammenfassung Ziel dieses Berichts war es, die Haltungen und Wahrnehmungen von Erziehungswissenschaftlern in der Karibik gegenüber schulischer Beratung und Personalprogrammen für Schüler zu untersuchen und zu analysieren. Für den Bericht wurden 275 an öffentlichen und privaten Junior und Senior High School tätige Lehrern und Administratoren befragt. Um die Daten für die statistische Analyse zu gewinnen, wurden die Kruskal-Wallis Ein-Weg Varianzanalyse und die Friedman Zwei-Weg Analyse für wiederholte Maßnahmen angewandt. Die Befunde ergaben, daß Administratoren sämtlicher Stufen erheblich günstigere Haltungen und Wahrnehmungen gegenüber Beratungs- und Personalprogrammen für Schüler an den Schulen einnahmen als die Lehrer. In dem Bericht äußerten die Lehrer folgendes: (a) erhebliches Bedenken bezüglich der Kompetenz praktizierender Berater an ihren Schulen; (b) die Notwendigkeit sowohl ihre Rolle und Funktion in dem Beratungsprozeß als auch die Rolle des Beraters zu klären; (c) ein Minimum an annehmbaren Standards für Schulberatungspositionen sei festzustellen.

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Résumé Cette étude a été conçue pour examiner et comparer les jugements et les opinions enregistrés sur les conseils d'école et les programmes du personnel étudiant tels qu'ils sont organisés par les spécialistes de l'éducation aux Bahamas. Les sujets de cette étude ont fait appel à 275 enseignants et administrateurs employés dans les écoles d'enseignement secondaire et supérieur de Nassau aux Bahamas. L'analyse unidirectionnelle de variance de Kruskal et Wallis ainsi que l'analyse bidirectionnelle de Friedman pour mesures répétées ont été utilisées en tant que tests statistiques pour traiter les données. Les résultats montrent que les administrateurs ont exprimé à tous les niveaux des jugements et des opinions bien plus favorables que celles des enseignants au sujet des conseils et des programmes du personnel étudiant des écoles. Les enseignants interviewés dans le cadre de cette étude ont exprimé les points suivants: (a) un grand intérêt pour ce qui est de la compétence des conseillers en exercice dans leur école; (b) la nécessité de préciser leur rôle et leur fonction dans le processus d'orientation ainsi que le rôle du conseiller; et (c) des normes minimums acceptables doivent être fixées pour les postes des conseils d'école.

     

Developing math automaticity using a classwide fluency building procedure for middle school students: A preliminary study

To investigate the influence of an innovative math fluency intervention, 36 middle‐school students were randomly assigned to either an experimental (the Detect, Practice, Repair [DPR]) or control condition (reading intervention). After covarying pretest scores, the DPR treatment produced a significantly higher (p = .016) adjusted mean (M) math score (M = 47.53, standard deviation [SD] = 3.26) for the intervention group when compared to the control group (M = 33.31, SD = 4.39). The intervention is described so that teachers and consulting school psychologists can implement the steps for individuals or groups (e.g., in a multitiered response to intervention model). © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Counting at nursery school and at primary school: Toward an instrument for diagnostic assessment

For about ten years, new research data have led us to enlarge the Piagetian model of the learning of the concept of number. Research investigations of counting have especially emphasized the importance of some abilities related to the construction of the concept of number. We think these researches should more greatly influence the practice of assessment. But valid tests should be available for psychologists and teachers to appraise the child development of the mastery of counting. For this purpose, we developed a set of tasks on the base of a critical analysis of Gelman and Gallistel counting principles. In a first step of our research, we used these tasks in a large sample of children from the French-speaking community of Belgium. This sample was composed of pupils from the third year of the nursery school (N=439) and from the first year of the primary school (N=103). Some of our results are quite different from those of previous investigations. We observe that many 5-year-old children are far from mastering and to coordinating the counting principles. A significant percent of pupils in the first year of the primary school are in the same situation. The implications of these difficulties for the beginning of the learning of arithmetic are emphasized.